US6139336A - High density connector having a ball type of contact surface - Google Patents

Abstract

A connector for use with a circuit substrate having a plurality of elongated conductors. A solder ball is fused to the end of the conductors for connection of the connector to a circuit substrate. Method for attaching the solder ball to the end of the conductors using a solder paste with or without a preformed solder ball. The conductors are fitted into passages of an interface member. A tail end of each conductor terminates in a well in a surface of the interface member that facilitates the attachment of solder ball to the end of the conductors. The passages in the interface member hold the conductor tail ends in place while providing a clearance around the conductor to accommodate the effects of thermal expansion and contraction.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of earlier filed U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 06/030799, filed Nov. 14 1996, entitled "BALL GRID ARRAY HIGH DENSITY CONNECTOR." (Attorney Docket No.: EL-4474P).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to high I/O density connectors such as connectors that are attachable to a circuit substrate by use of a solder ball contact surface.

2. Brief Description of Prior Developments

The drive to reduce the size of electronic equipment, particularly personal portable devices, and to add additional functions to such equipment has resulted in an ongoing drive for miniaturization of all components, especially electrical connectors. Efforts to miniaturize electrical connectors have included reductions in the pitch between terminals in single or double row linear connectors, so that a relatively high number of I/O or other lines can be interconnected by connectors that fit within the tightly circumscribed areas on circuit substrates that are allotted for receiving connectors. The drive for miniaturization has also been accompanied by a shift in manufacturing preference to surface mount techniques (SMT) for mounting components on circuit substrates. The confluence of the increasing use of SMT and the required fine pitch of linear connectors has resulted in approaching the high volume, low cost limits of SMT for mounting connectors that employ presently available mounting designs. The limit is being reached because further reductions in pitch of the terminals greatly increase the risk of bridging adjacent solder pads or terminals during reflow of the solder paste. Array electrical connectors have been proposed to satisfy the need for increased I/O density. Such electrical connectors have a two dimensional array of terminal tails and can provide improved density. However, these connectors present certain difficulties with respect to attachment to the circuit substrate by SMT techniques because the surface mount tails of most, if not all, of the terminals must be attached beneath the connector body. As a result, the mounting techniques used must be highly reliable because of the difficulty in visually inspecting the solder connections and repairing them, if faulty.

Mounting techniques for other electronic components have addressed the reliability of solder connections in hard to inspect positions. For example, integrated circuit (IC) mounting to plastic or ceramic substrates have increasingly employed solder balls and other similar packages to provide such a reliable attachment. In a solder ball technique, spherical solder balls attached to the IC package are positioned on electrical contact pads of a circuit substrate to which a layer of solder paste has been applied, typically by use of a screen or mask. The unit is then heated to a temperature at which the solder paste and at least a portion of the solder ball melt and fuse to an underlying conductive pad formed on the circuit substrate. This heating process is commonly referred to as solder reflow. The IC is thereby connected to the substrate without need of external leads on the IC.

While the use of solder balls and similar systems in connecting ICs to a substrate has many advantages, a corresponding means for mounting an electrical connector or similar component on a circuit substrate has recently become desirable. The use of such techniques in mounting electrical connectors has lagged the use in mounting ICs because the use of solder ball technologies in mounting an electrical connector or similar component to a circuit substrate presents complexities not encountered with IC mounting. For example, ICs that have employed solder balls generally present a flat attachment surface. By contrast, connectors usually do not present a flat attachment surface but rather present a series of elongated conductors, commonly referred to as terminal tail ends. Attachment of a solder ball to the small end surface presented by the tip of a terminal tail end presents manufacturing difficulties not present in the attachment of solder balls to a flat surface.

In addition to the manufacturing difficulties, connectors are generally more susceptible to solder joint stress due to the effects of differential Coefficients of Thermal Expansion (CTE) between the connector and the circuit substrate. This susceptibility is primarily due to size and geometry differences between a connector and an IC. For example, IC mounting surfaces are generally on the order of 2.5 centimeters square. Connector mounting surfaces, on the other hand, generally have a narrow width (e.g., 0.5 centimeters or less) and a much longer length (e.g. 5.0 centimeters or more). Primarily because of the relatively long length of the connector, differences in CTE between a connector and a circuit substrate potentially have a much greater effect on the solder joints than the differences in CTE between an IC and a circuit substrate.

Connectors attached to circuit substrates via solder ball techniques are also more susceptible to joint stress than a conventional SMT attachment technique. For example, a conventional SMT attaches connector terminal tails to a circuit substrate horizontally, providing more attachment surface area for the solder joint. The additional surface area of the solder joint in the conventional SMT technique is stronger and, consequently, more tolerant of differences in CTE between the connector, terminal tails and circuit substrate. A solder ball connection, on the other hand, attaches a connector terminal tail vertically to the circuit substrate with the end of the terminal tail directly mated to the circuit substrate, reducing the amount of attachment surface area. As a result of the smaller attachment surface, differences in CTE are much more likely to stress the terminal tail to circuit substrate joint resulting in failure or quality problems.

Furthermore, in most circuit substrate applications, the electrical component mounting surfaces of the surface mount connections must meet strict coplanarity requirements. Thus, the use of solder balls to attach a connector to a circuit substrate imposes the requirement that the solder balls are coplanar in order to ensure a substantially flat mounting interface. So that, in the final application the balls will reflow and solder evenly to a planar circuit substrate. Any significant differences in solder coplanarity on a given mounting connection can cause poor soldering performance when the connector is reflowed onto a printed circuit board. Accordingly, users specify very tight coplanarity requirements to achieve high soldering reliability, on the order of 0.1 to 0.2 mm for example. By providing a connection using a solder ball technique, the coplanarity requirements can be met and sometimes exceeded. Unlike conventional SMT, the solder ball can absorb variations in terminal tail length by changing shape upon the application of heat to bridge the gaps between the terminal tail ends and the circuit substrate connections.

The present invention recognizes that there is a need for an improved electrical connector apparatus and accompanying electrical connector construction techniques that address the shortcomings of present electrical connectors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention meets the above needs by providing an improved electrical connector for use in forming an electrical connection between a contact portion of an electrical component and a contact portion of a circuit substrate and method for constructing the electrical connector. The electrical connector comprises a connector body, a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on the connector body arranged to electrically mate with the contact portion of the electrical component, a plurality of electrical elongated conductors, alternately referred to as terminal tails, disposed on the connector body are arranged to form an electrical connection with the circuit substrate. The elongated conductors are in electrical communication with corresponding electrical contacts. A substrate contact, such as a solder ball, is connected via a butt joint on an end of each of the elongated conductors such that an electrical connection between the elongated conductors and the contact portion of the circuit substrate is selectively accommodated.

Each of the elongated conductors is disposed in a passage that has cross-sectional diameter a little larger than the cross-sectional diameter of the elongated conductor. As a result, clearance is provided between the sides of the electrical conductor and the side walls of the passage. Preferably, the cross-section is substantially rectangular in shape. The passages terminate in wells that are disposed across a planar face of the connector. The wells have a rectangular top opening that is longer along a length of the connector face. Moreover, a portion of the connector body proximate the elongated connector tail end is coated with an anti-migration solution such as oleophobic-hydrophobic flourochemical polymer to assist the process of solder ball formation and attachment.

One of the primary manufacturing challenges in manufacturing the above described connector involves the method of fusing substrate contact material (e.g., a solder ball) to the end of the tail portion of the elongated conductors. The invention accomplishes this attachment task by first forming a well, as described above, within a planar surface of the conductor. Here, the planar surface is provided by an interface member that can be formed separately and attached to the body of the connector or alternatively formed as an integral component with the body. In either case, the tail ends of the elongated conductors are inserted into passages formed in the interface member such that the tail ends terminate within a predefined range of the mounting surface and are exposed within the well. The well is then filled with a predetermined amount of solder paste. Finally, the substrate contacts are fused to the ends of the elongated conductors according to two embodiments.

In the first embodiment, a premanufactured substrate contact member such as a solder ball is seated into the paste. The tail end, substrate contact member and solder paste are then heated to a predefined temperature above the melting point of the paste such that the solder paste coalesces around the substrate contact member and joins it to the elongated conductor end.

According to a second embodiment, no premanufactured substrate contact member is used. Rather, a pre-specified amount of solder paste is applied to the well. Thereafter, the tail end and solder paste are heated to a predefined temperature, above the melting point of the solder paste. As a result, the solder paste coalesces into a ball attached to the end of the elongated conductor.

The process for forming a substrate contact on an elongated conductor as described above is further enhanced by coating the well with an anti-migration solution such as oleophobic-hydrophobic fluoropolymer. Thereafter, when the solder paste is heated, the paste is repelled from the treated surfaces of the well and interface member. This results in a more uniform ball formation. The substrate contact attachment process can be further enhanced by passivating a portion of the tail end such that solder paste will not attach to the passivated portion. As a result, the solder can attach only to the very end of the elongated conductor. Solder flow restriction at the tail end can be enhanced by passivating the tail end, coating the tail end with an anti-migration solution or both.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The method and connector of the present invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a card edge connector which represents a preferred embodiment of the connector of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the card edge connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the card edge connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an cross-sectional view through 4--4 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the substrate contact area of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of completed substrate contact connection to a first tail end embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a completed substrate contact connection to a first tail end embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of a substrate contact connection;

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate contact connection according to a first method;

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate contact connection according to a second method; and

FIG. 11 is a graph comparing relative terminal tail height versus substrate contact height.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

According to presently preferred embodiments, a linear connector having a solder ball type electrical contract surface and methods for attaching the solder balls to the connector will now be described with reference to the Figures. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the description given herein with respect to those Figures is for exemplary purposes only and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the invention. For example, an electrical connector is described herein having a substantially retangular mounting surface wherein the length of the mounting surface is substantially greater than its width. However, the particular dimensions described herein with reference to that connector are merely for the purpose of illustration and are not intended to be limiting. The concepts disclosed herein have a broader application to a much wider variation of connector mounting surface geometries. The concepts disclosed with reference to this connector could be employed, for example, with a connector having a connection mounting surface having a more square or radial geometry.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown top, front and side views, respectively, of anelectrical connector 1 of the present invention. As shown,connector 1 comprises aconnector body 5, a plurality ofelongated conductors 8, aninterface member 10,electrical element contacts 9, hold downelement 13 with an upwardly extendingarm 15 and connector latches 24. As best shown in FIG. 2, the front ofconnector 1 comprises a plurality ofelectrical contacts 9 arranged within two openings, which are designed to selectively engage and mate with corresponding electrical contacts for an electrical element such as those electrical contacts present on a daughter board. As is described in further detail below, eachelectrical contact 9 is in electrical communication with a correspondingelongated conductor 8 such that a current flow path is established therebetween.Elongated conductors 8 are designed for permanent connection to electrical contacts on a circuit substrate (not shown). Thereafter, electrical communication can be selectively established between an electrical element inserted intoelectrical connector 1 and a circuit substrate to which it is attached. In this way, for example,electrical connector 1 can be connected to a circuit substrate such as a card edge connector of the type used in a computer motherboard. Thereafter, a user, via attachedelectrical connector 1, can selectively add a daughter board or boards (e.g., memory modules) to the computer motherboard.

The electrical contacts ofconnector 1 comprise a linear array stacked in two parallel rows 36A and 36B, each row accepting a single daughter board. A user inserts an electrical element laterally intoconnector 1. As each daughter board is inserted, connector latches 24 that correspond to the particular row, 36A or 36B, engage and lock the electrical element into place onconnector 1. Although two parallel rows are shown with respect toconnector 1, the concepts disclosed herein are equally applicable to a connector having one row, three rows and so on. Preferably,connector body 5 and connector latches 24 are constructed from a molded plastic material to reduce weight.

Further details of the arrangement ofconnector 1 can be seen with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 presents a cross-sectional view ofconnector 1 taken along theline 4--4. As shown therein,connector 1 further comprises stacked insert moldedwafers 2, which are locked together in a pin andsocket arrangement 4. Thus locked together,wafers 2 are retained inhousing 5 by a series ofdimples 6 which are fitted intocylindrical openings 7. A plurality ofelongated conductors 8 extend into each ofwafers 2. Each elongated conductor therein joins in electrical communication with a correspondingelectrical contact 9. Eachelongated conductor 8 also extends out fromwafer 2 and extends down intointerface member 10. Abend 29, preferably about 90° C. in the disclosed embodiment, along with the length ofelongated conductor 8 allowsconnector 1 to provide interfaces on two different planes. For example, the bend allowsconnector 1 to interface vertically with respect to the board, while interfacing with an electrical element that is positioned horizontally with respect to the board. As such, the electrical element projects horizontally over the circuit substrate surface conserving circuit substrate height. Other degrees ofbends 29 could be used as required to adjust to a variety of application geometries without departing from the inventive aspects of the present invention. For example, the elongated conductors could have no bend, in which case, the electrical element would project vertically with respect to the circuit substrate. The tail end of eachelongated conductor 8 extends through acorresponding passage 25 ininterface member 10 and is terminated by asubstrate contact 12 such as a solder ball. Eachelongated conductor 8 preferably has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape such as a square; however, other cross-sectional shapes such as round may function equally as well.

FIG. 5 presents a more detailed view ofelongated conductors 8 in relation tointerface member 10.Interface member 10 can be a separate component that is attached toconnector body 5 or, alternatively, could be integrally formed therewith. As shown,interface member 10 has a plurality ofpassages 25, onepassage 25 being provided to guide and support oneelongated conductor 8 with a tail end of eachelongated conductor 8 disposed within apassage 25. Significantly, the diameter ofpassage 25 is a little larger than the diameter ofelongated conductor 8. Accordingly, the tail end ofelongated conductor 8 is disposed withinpassage 25 such thatclearance 18 is provided between the sides ofelongated conductor 8 and the walls ofpassage 25. For example, whereaselongated conductor 8 has a width of about 0.305 mm,passage 25 has a width of about 0.38 mm.Clearance 18 provides an important feature in tolerating differences in Coefficients of Thermal Expansion (CTE) between the material forming theinterface member 10 and the material forming the circuit substrate on which the connector is mounted. That is,passage 25 are sized to provide guidance toelongated conductors 8 duringsubstrate contact 12 attachment and further duringconnector 1 attachment to a circuit substrate. However, elongatedconductors 8 have a clearance with and are not physically connected to interfacemember 10, permittinginterface member 10 to expand and contract without the side walls of the passage impinging uponelongated conductors 8 because of the clearance. The amount of clearance is related to the differential in CTE noted above. As a result, stress is reduced in a solder joint betweenelongated conductors 8 and the circuit substrate during thermal expansion and contraction cycles.Passage 25 preferably comprises a cross-section substantially similar to the cross-section ofelongated conductor 8. For example, ifelongated conductor 8 has a substantially rectangular cross-section thenpassage 25 also has a substantially rectangular cross-section. Eachpassage 25 terminates in the bottom of well 11 and comprises awide inlet cavity 27 that provides guidance toelongated conductor 8 during insertion intointerface member 10. Each end of aconductor 8 terminates within well 11 and therein is fused to asubstrate contact 12, which is also partially disposed within well 11. For a variety of reasons, including the bend inelongated conductors 8, the termination height of theelongated conductors 8 withinwells 11 will vary amongconductors 8. This height variation is commonly referred to as coplanarity.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a bottom plan view of asubstrate contact 12 in relation to well 11 is depicted. As shown, well 11 is substantially rectangular in cross-section having alength 1 slightly larger than a width w. For example, width w is preferably 0.5 mm; whereas,length 1 is preferably 0.55 mm. Additionally, according to a first embodiment,substrate contact 12 is on the order of 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm. Thus, there is a clearance of at least about 0.05 mm betweensubstrate contact 12 and two sides of well 11. As withpassages 25, the rectangular shape of well 11 also accommodates effects of thermal expansion and contraction. The clearance between the sides of well 11 andsubstrate contact 12 ensures that well 11 will not impinge upon the solder joint during expansion and contraction.

The length ofwell 11 is aligned with the length ofinterface member 10 to accommodate thermal cycles while maximizingconductor 8 density. Becauseinterface member 10 is longer along its length than its width, the effects of expansion and contraction will be correspondingly greater along the length ofinterface member 10 than along the width. Accordingly, a top opening of well 10 has dimensions that acommodate the lengthwise thermal expansion and contraction. Along the width ofinterface member 10, the effects of expansion and contraction are less of an issue because of the smaller size relative to the length. Consequently, the width of well 11 can be narrower than the length. The overall result is a well 11 that is sized to accommodate expansion and contraction along the length ofconnector 1 while allowing a higher density ofwells 11 andconductors 8 along the width ofconnector 1. Additionally, because the top opening of well 11 is dimensioned in this way, tighterelongated conductor 8 densities across the width ofinterface member 10 are possible while allowing well 11 to maintain a required volume of solder paste during substrate contact attachment.

Further details of the connection ofsubstrate contacts 12 toelongated connectors 8 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 6-9. Referring now to FIG. 6, an embodiment of the attachment ofsubstrate contact 12 to end of theelongated conductor 8 is shown. Thesubstrate contact 12 is fused to the end ofelongated conductor 8 with a butt joint. To ensure a quality butt joint betweensubstrate contacts 12 toelongated conductors 8, a portion of the tail end of eachelongated conductor 8 has a passivatedsurface 17.Passivated surface 17 ensures that solder, used during the attachment process, does not wick along the sides ofelongated conductor 8 and potentially enterclearance 18 during substrate contact reflow. As described above,clearance 10 accomodates differences in Coefficients of Thermal Expansion. Accordingly, if solder entersclearance 18, the reliability of a corresponding solder joint is jeopardized asinterface member 10 expands and contracts. Therefore, an anti-solder wicking or non-solder wettable material is applied to thesurface 17. One preferred material for this purpose is nickel plating. While not intending to be bound by any particular theory, it is believed that the solder resistant feature of this nickel plated area results from or is enhanced by the oxidation of the nickel plating, for example, by laser oxidation, steam exposure or ambient air exposure. Other solder wick resistant materials are believed to be usable for this purpose, such as fluorine containing solder resist coatings. Alternatively, a combination of nickel and fluorine could be used.

Other embodiments are possible to prevent solder wicking. For example, FIG. 7 depicts a second embodiment of the substrate contact andelongated conductor 8 interface. In this embodiment, the end ofelongated conductor 8 is beveled. As a result of the bevel,solder filet 21 is formed betweensubstrate contact 12 and the end ofelongated conductor 8 during the attachment ofsubstrate contact 12 toelongated conductor 8. This second embodiment also reduces the potential for solder to wick into theclearance 18 by capturing solder within a bevel.

In the embodiments previously described, the tail and of eachelongated conductor 8 is positioned in awell 11. Each well 11 is substantially uniform in size and shape and provides several features of importance with respect to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 9, for example, each well 11 ensures that a highly uniform amount ofsolder paste 19 is received therein using a process such as a simple deposit and squeegee operation. Thus, the amount of solder available for securing each substrate contact onto an end ofelongated conductor 8 is substantially uniform. Thewells 11 locate the position of each substrate contact in the lateral X-Y directions prior to attachment of the substrate contacts in the Z direction with respect to the bottom surface ofinterface member 10 and the end ofelongated conductor 8. After solder reflow and best shown in FIG. 6, the solder contained inpaste 19 in well 11increases substrate contact 12 size byarea 16.

The size ofarea 16 is affected by the height of the tip ofconductor 8 withinwell 11. The amount of solder paste deposited in each well 11 is altered by the variation inelongated conductor 8 height. For example, aconductor 8 tip that is higher in well 11 will displace more solder paste; whereas, aconductor 8 tip that is lower in well 11 will displace less solder paste. If less paste is available in the well, during reflow of the solder paste less paste is available to coalesce around the substrate contact, resulting in a slightlysmaller substrate contact 12. A smaller substrate contact will result in a lower height. On the other hand, when more paste is available in the well a larger substrate contact will result, corresponding to a higher substrate contact height.

The process above describes a substrate contact attachment via the use of preformedsubstrate contacts 12. However, according to a second embodiment, the substrate contact interface can be formed without the use of preformed substrate contacts. Referring now to FIG. 10 there is shown a method ofsubstrate contact 12 attachment using only solder paste. According to this method, a prespecified amount of solder paste is deposited in and over well 11. This prespecified amount of solder paste can be deposited by a commercial dispensing machine such as a CAM/A LOT 1818 available from Camelot Systems, Inc. After the solder paste deposition, the connector is heated above the solder paste melting point. The solder within the paste then coalesces into asubstrate contact 12, which forms on the end ofelongated conductor 12. As described above with reference to the preformed substrate contact technique, the variable volume of paste will effect the size and coplanarity of the substrate contacts. Similar to the preformed substrate contact method, the displacement of solder paste by the height ofconductor 8 within well 11 will affect the final coplanarity in this method as well.

As previously mentioned coplanarity of the substrate mounting face of a connector utilizing substrate contact mounting is critical with any SMT device. Inconnector 1, there are two primary factors that influence the coplanarity of the connector to circuit substrate interface: (1) the coplanarity of the end surfaces, i.e., the tips, ofelongated conductors 8; and (2) the coplanarity ofsubstrate contacts 12. The coplanarity of the tips ofelongated conductors 8 is affected by a variety of factors such as length of theconductor 8, uniformity of the bends, the ability to keep the conductors consistently parallel and the like. As a result, it is extremely difficult to maintain the conductor tips within the final coplanarity requirement of the circuit substrate manufacturers while maintaining high yields and low costs. As described more fully below, however, through the use of the substrate contact attachment in connection with well 11, the restrictive coplanarity requirements for the completedconnector 1 is met while imposing a less restrictive coplanarity requirement on the tips ofelongated conductors 8.

Referring to FIG. 11, there is shown an exemplary graph of the coplanarity of the tips ofelongated conductors 8 before the attachment of substrate contacts 12 (curve 32) versus the coplanarity ofelongated conductors 8 with the attached substrate contacts 12 (curve 34). The units along the abscissa represents different samples used in the co-planarity measurement. The units along the ordinate represent unit sample height labeled 0, 1, 2 and so on; however, these units are labeled to merely illustrate the relative relationship between the tip position and corresponding substrate contact height. Actual units and values will vary depending on factors such as well dimensions and substrate contact size.

Curve 32 represents the height of an elongated conductor tip as measured above the bottom of well 11 (see also FIG. 6). Thus, atsample 0, for example, the measured tip height is 0 units. Atsample 1, the tip height is about 0.75 and so on. Atsample 5, the tip height is about 4 units.

Curve 34 represents the height above the bottom of well 11 of the same tip after attachment of the substrate contact 12 (see also FIG. 6). Forsample 0, the corresponding height after attachment ofsubstrate contact 12 is about 4.5 units. Atsample 1, the corresponding substrate contact height is about 5 units and so on. Finally, forsample 5, the substrate contact height is about than 6.5 units.

Comparing thecurves 32 and 34 illustrates that the process of attachingsubstrate contact 12 to the end ofconductor 8 absorbs some of the variations in coplanarity of the tipe ofconductors 0. For example, insample 0, the difference between the tip height (preattachment curve 32) and the substrate contact height (post attachment curve 34) is about 4.5 units. By contrast, atsample 5, the tip height is about 4 units, whereas the substrate contact height is about 6.5 units, for a difference of only 2.5 unit. Moreover, the total change in tip height over the enter range of samples was about 4 units, but the total change of substrate contact height over the same sample range was only about 2 units.

To further illustrate the coplanarity regulation performed by the wells consider the following example. A typical connector before substrate contact attachment will have a number ofelongated conductors 8 with different tip heights. If, for example, oneconductor 8 has a tip height of 0 (i.e., the tip is exactly flush with the bottom of the well) and another connector has a tip height of 4 units, the coplanarity between the tips would be about 4 units. Under some circumstances this coplanarity variation of 4 units may be unacceptable. However, after the attachment ofsubstrate contacts 12 according to the methods described herein, the corresponding substrate contact heights will be 4.5 units and 6.5 units respectively, for a final coplanarity of about 2 units. Significantly, the final coplanarity is only 2 units versus 4 units.

In summary, the coplanarity differences of the tips ofelongated conductor 8 is counteracted during the attachment ofsubstrate contacts 12. Substrate contact size is transformed by the variable volume of solder paste placed in well 11 as a result of variations in heights of elongated conductor tips. Consequently, the overall height of the substrate contact after attachment to the tip ofconductors 8 is somewhat equalized. Accordingly, aconnector 1 can be constructed with a higher tolerance for elongated conductors coplanarity than would be possible otherwise.

Accordingly to another aspect of the invention, the quality ofsubstrate contact 12 attachment is enhanced by the application of an anti-migration or anti-wicking solution to an area in and around well 11. Without the anti-migration solution, substrate contacts may form unevenly, sometimes wicking to the wall edges. With the anti-migrations solution applied, solder is repelled from the well edges and forms more uniform substrate contacts on the ends ofelongated conductors 8. The preferred anti-migration solution is oleophobic-hydrophobic fluoropolymer. Such as solution is commercial available from 3M corporation under the Fluorad brand name.

In the method of this invention, the substrate contact will preferably be a solder ball. Those skilled in the art, however, will appreciate that it may be possible to substitute other fusible materials which have a melting temperature less than the melting temperature ofconductor body 5 andelongated conductors 8. The fusible element can also have a shape other than a sphere. The ends ofelongated conductors 8 will extend into well 11 by a sufficient amount to present adequate surface area for the substrate contact to fuse to, and will usually preferably extend into the recess from about 25 percent to 75 percent and more preferably to about 50 percent of the depth of the recess as previously mentioned. The recesses ordinarily will be circular, square or the shape of any other regular polygon in cross-section. When the conductive element is solder, it will preferably be an alloy which is in the range of about 3% Sn and 97% Pb to about 100% Sn and 0% Pb. More preferably the alloy will be eutectic which is 63% Sn and 37% Pb and has a melting point of 183° C. Typically, a "hard" solder alloy with a higher lead content would be used for mating to materials such as ceramics. The "hard" substrate contact will "mushroom" or deform slightly as it softens under typical SMT conditions, but will not melt. A "soft" eutectic ball is used for attachment to printed circuit boards and will usually reflow and reform itself under typical SMT conditions. Other solders known to be suitable for electronic purposes are also believed to be acceptable for use in this method. Such solders include, without limitation, electronically acceptable tin-antimony, tin-silver and lead silver alloys and indium. Before the substrate contact or other conductive element is positioned in a recess, that recess would usually be filled with solder paste.

Alternatively, in place of the substrate contact previously described, a body of material which is not fusible at SMT temperatures may be attached by reflow of the solder paste in the recesses onto the contacts. The connector mounting interface would comprise a plurality of infusible spheres in a tightly coplanar array. Such a connector would be secured on a substrate by conventional SMT techniques.

While it is believed that a solder paste or cream incorporating any conventional organic or inorganic solder flux may be adapted for use in this method, a no clean solder paste or cream is preferred. Such solder pastes or creams would include a solder alloy in the form of a fine powder suspended in a suitable fluxing material. This powder will ordinarily be an alloy and not a mixture of constituents. The ratio of solder to flux will ordinarily be high and in the range of 80%-95% by weight solder or approximately 50% by volume. A solder cream will be formed when the solder material is suspended in a rosin flux. Preferably the rosin flux will be a white rosin or a low activity rosin flux, although for various purposes activated or superactivated rosins may be used. A solder paste will be formed when a solder alloy in the form of a fine powder is suspended in an organic acid flux or an inorganic acid flux. Such organic acids may be selected from lactic, oleic, stearic, phthalic, citric or other similar acids. Such inorganic acids may be selected from hydrochloric, hydrofluoric and orthophosphoric acid. Cream or paste may be applied by brushing, screening, or extruding onto the surface which may advantageously have been gradually preheated to ensure good wetting.

Heating is preferably conducted in a panel infra red (IR) solder reflow conveyor oven. The connector would then be heated to a temperature above the melting point of the solder within the solder paste.

While the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the recitation of the appended claims.

Claims (70)

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector for use in forming an electrical connection between a contact portion of an electronic component and a contact portion of a circuit substrate, the electrical connector comprising:

a connector body;

a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on the connector body and arranged to electrically mate with the contact portion of the electronic component;

an interface member forming a mounting interface for mounting of the connector on the circuit substrate, the interface member located adjacent said connector body, having a plurality of passages therethrough, and a plurality of wells disposed on said mounting interface and in communication with said passages;

a plurality of elongated conductors disposed on the connector body and arranged to form an electrical connection with the circuit substrate, each elongated conductor being in electrical communication with a corresponding one of said plurality of electrical contacts, each one of said plurality of elongated conductors having a tail end that, once engaging said connector body, is unattachedly disposed within a corresponding one of said passages of said interface member; and

a plurality of solder bodies, each having a curvilinear substrate contact surface and connected on the tail end of a corresponding one of said elongated conductors so as to form an electrical connection between said elongated conductors and said contact portion of the circuit substrate.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the solder bodies are solder balls.

3. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1 wherein said interface member has a length and a width wherein said length is longer than said width and wherein said passages have a cross-section area larger than a cross-section area of said elongated conductors.

4. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1 wherein the solder bodies are coplanar within a range of 0.1 to 0.2 millimeters.

5. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1 wherein said solder bodies are substantially spherical in shape.

6. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1 wherein said elongated conductors are treated such that said solder bodies can attach on a single surface thereof.

7. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1 wherein said elongated conductors comprise a bend.

8. The electrical connector as in claim 1, wherein the plurality of contacts comprise a first linear array.

9. The electrical connector as in claim 8, wherein the linear array comprises two rows of contacts.

10. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein the plurality of contacts includes a second linear array, the second array being in stacked relation to the first array.

11. The electrical connector as in claim 8, wherein the connector comprises an edge card connector.

12. The electrical connector as in claim 8, wherein the body includes an opening and the contacts are disposed in the opening.

13. The electrical connector as in claim 12, wherein the opening is formed in a surface of the connector body and is angled with respect to the mounting interface.

14. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the wells have side walls and the solder bodies have a size such that said solder bodies are spaced from the side walls of the wells to provide a clearance.

15. The electrical connector as recited in claim 14 wherein said wells are elongated in one direction, at least the side walls of the well in the direction of elongation being greater than the dimension of the solder body in said direction.

16. The electrical connector as recited in claim 15 wherein the interface member is elongated and said direction of elongation of the wells is substantially parallel with the direction of elongation of said interface member.

17. The electrical connector as recited in claim 1 wherein said interface member is spaced from the connector body.

18. The electrical connector as recited in claim 17, wherein said elongated conductors comprise a bend located between the connector body and the interface member.

19. The electrical connector as recited in claim 18, wherein the bend is about 90 degrees.

20. The electrical connector as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of a surface area of said well and a surface area of said tail end other than a solder attachment surface is treated with a solder anti-migration solution.

21. The electrical connector as recited in claim 20, wherein said solder anti-migration solution comprises an oleophobic-hydrophobic fluoropolymer.

22. An electrical connector for use in forming an electrical connection with a circuit substrate, the electrical connector comprising:

an interface member, having a surface forming an interface surface with the circuit substrate; a peripheral edge; and a plurality of wells disposed on said interface surface, each well having a corresponding passage extending from a bottom of the well through said interface member and located away from said peripheral edge, said wells having sides forming a substantially elongated opening such that one side of said wells is longer than an other side of said wells;

a plurality of elongated conductors each having a tail end wherein each tail end is disposed within a selected one of said passages such that said tail ends terminate in said corresponding wells within a predefined range of said planar surface; and

an electrically conductive material fused on the tail end of said plurality of elongated conductors, said conductive material having at least one cross-sectional dimension smaller than said longer side of said well.

23. The electrical connector as recited in claim 22, wherein said electrically conductive material is substantially spherically shaped.

24. The electrical connector as recited in claim 22, wherein said elongated conductor comprises a bend of about ninety degrees.

25. The electrical connector as in claim 22, further comprising a connector body and a plurality of electrical contacts, each contact disposed on one elongated conductor, wherein the plurality of conductors comprise a linear array.

26. The electrical connector of claim 25, wherein the plurality of contacts includes a second linear array, the second array being in stacked relation to the other array.

27. The electrical connector as in claim 25, wherein the connector comprises an edge card connector.

28. The electrical connector as in claim 25, wherein the body includes an opening and the conductors are disposed in the opening.

29. The electrical connector as in claim 28, wherein the opening is formed in a surface of the connector body and is angled with respect to the interface surface of the interface member.

30. The electrical connector of claim 22, wherein said conductive material has a melting temperature lower than the melting temperature of said elongated conductor for fusibly joining said elongated conductor with the circuit substrate.

31. The electrical connector as recited in claim 30, wherein said electrically conductive material is solder.

32. The electrical connector as recited in claim 30, wherein side surfaces of said elongated conductor are treated such that the electrically conductive material will not bond to the treated surfaces.

33. An electrical connector for use in forming an electrical connection between a first electrical element having an electrical contact portion and a second electrical element having an electrical contact portion, the electrical connector comprising:

a connector body;

a first electrical contact disposed within said body, said first electrical contact comprising an electrically conductive surface for mating with the electrical contact portion of the first electrical element so as to form an electrical connection between said fist electrical contact and the first electrical element;

an interface member comprising a well disposed within an interface surface of said interface member and a passage connecting said well with a second surface of said interface member;

second electrical contact comprising a shaped body of an electrically conductive material having an outer surface for joining said electrical connector with the electrical contact portion of the second electrical element;

a conductor elongated in a longitudinal direction and having a tail end, said elongated conductor being electrically connected between said first electrical contact and said second electrical contact, said connector body and said interface member being separated along a length of said elongated conductor, said elongated conductor tail end inserted into said passage of said interface member in said longitudinal direction and terminating within a predefined range of said planar surface, wherein said tail end is fusibly joined with said electrically conductive material.

34. The electrical connector as recited in claim 33, wherein said conductive material has a melting temperature less than the melting temperature of said elongated conductor.

35. The electrical connector as recited in claim 33, further comprising a well disposed within said interface surface of said connector body in communication with said passage such that said tail end of said elongated conductor extends within said well.

36. The electrical connector as recited in claim 33, wherein said elongated conductor comprises a substantially rectangular cross-section.

37. The electrical connector as recited in claim 33, wherein said elongated conductor comprises a bend of about ninety degrees.

38. The electrical connector as recited in claim 33, wherein said passage comprises a substantially rectangular cross-section.

39. The electrical connector as recited in claim 33, wherein said passage comprises a cross-section with an area larger than the cross-sectional area of said elongated conductor such that clearance is provided between sides of the electrical conductor and the side walls of the passage.

40. The electrical connector as recited in claim 33, wherein said electrically conducting material comprises a substantially spherical shape.

41. The electrical connector as recited in claim 33, wherein a portion of said connector body proximate the elongated connector tail end is coated with an anti-migration substance.

42. The electrical connector as recited in claim 41, wherein said anti-migration substance comprises an oleophobic-hydrophobic fluoropolymer.

43. The electrical connector as recited in claim 33, wherein said electrically conductive material comprises solder.

44. The electrical connector as recited in claim 43, wherein a portion of said elongated conductor proximate said tail end is passivated to prevent solder wicking.

45. The electrical connector as in claim 33, wherein the plurality of contacts comprise a linear array.

46. The electrical connector of claim 45, wherein the plurality of contacts includes a second linear array, the second array being in stacked relation to the other array.

47. The electrical connector as in claim 45, wherein the connector comprises an edge card connector.

48. The electrical connector as in claim 45, wherein the linear array comprises two rows of contacts.

49. The electrical connector as in claim 48, wherein the body includes an opening and the contacts are disposed in the opening.

50. The electrical connector as in claim 49, wherein the opening is formed in a surface of the connector body and is angled with respect to the mounting interface.

51. An electrical element for performing a predefined electrical function for use with a circuit substrate, the electrical element comprising:

an interface member having a first surface for mounting on the circuit substrate, a well with a bottom disposed within said mounting surface and a passage disposed through said interface member and in communication with said well;

an elongated conductor for providing an electrical current flow between said electrical element and said circuit substrate, said elongated conductor having a tail portion which remains laterally movable in the passage during insertion of said elongated conductor into said passage, said tail portion being within said passage such that an end of said tail portion terminates within said well within a predefined range of the planar surface of said interface member; and,

a solder body fused to the end of said tail portion for being selectively fused to said circuit substrate thereby forming an electrical current path between said elongated conductor and said circuit substrate.

52. The electrical element as recited in claim 51, wherein said well has a top opening wherein a length of said well is longer than a width of said well.

53. The electrical element as recited in claim 51, wherein said solder body has a melting temperature less than the melting temperature of said elongated conductor.

54. The electrical element as recited in claim 51, wherein said elongated conductor comprises a bend.

55. The electrical element as recited in claim 51, wherein said passage comprises a first dimension longer then an second dimension.

56. The electrical element as recited in claim 51, wherein said passage comprises a cross-section with a cross-sectional area greater than the cross-section of said elongated conductor such that clearance is provided between the sides of the electrical conductor and the side walls of the passage.

57. The electrical element as recited in claim 51, wherein said solder body has a substantially spherical shape.

58. The electrical element as recited in claim 51, wherein a portion of said elongated conductor proximate said tail end is passivated to prevent solder wicking.

59. The electrical element as recited in claim 51, wherein a portion of said interface member proximate the elongated connector tail end is coated with an anti-migration substance.

60. The electrical element as recited in claim 59, wherein said anti-migration substance comprises an oleophobic-hydrophobic fluoropolymer.

61. The electrical element as in claim 51, wherein the plurality of conductors comprise a linear array.

62. The electrical element of claim 61, wherein the plurality of conductors includes a second linear array, the second array being in stacked relation to the other array.

63. The electrical element as in claim 61, wherein the element comprises an edge card connector.

64. The electrical element as in claim 61, wherein the linear array comprises two rows.

65. The electrical element as in claim 64, wherein the body includes an opening and the conductors extend toward the opening.

66. The electrical connector as in claim 65, wherein the opening is formed in a surface disposed angularly with respect to the mounting interface.

67. An electrical component adapted to surface mount to a substrate, comprising:

an insulative body having:

a mounting surface facing the substrate; and

a passage extending through a central region of said body and directly to said mounting surface;

an elongated conductive element extending through the passage, the element having a distal end within said passage, the distal end including a side surface treated with an anti-solder migration solution and an end surface transverse to the side surface;

a fusible member within said passage and fixed only on the end surface by a butt joint between the fusible member and the end surface.

68. The electrical component as recited in claim 67, wherein said solder anti-migration solution is a olephobic-hydrophobic fluoropolymer.

69. An electrical component as in claim 67, wherein the fusible member is a solder ball having a cross-sectional area greater than the cross-sectional area of the end surface.

70. An electrical component as in claim 69, wherein the electrical component comprises an electrical connector.

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